Army Corps OKs Columbia River Plan

The Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday approved a $188 million project to deepen the Columbia River channel by 3 feet, allowing ships to carry more cargo to the Port of Portland.

The corps said a scientific review showed the dredging plan would not hurt the region's salmon or the environment in the long term.

The deeper channel would link maritime traffic to a key railroad center for the Pacific Northwest and much of the West, where big ships can load up on wheat, timber and other export cargo, officials said.

The project would cover 103.5 miles from the mouth of Columbia at Astoria to its confluence with the Willamette River at Portland, deepening the river from its current average of 40 feet to 43 feet.

Approved by Congress in 1999, the project was delayed after federal and state officials raised environmental questions, including impact on salmon runs.